Three area organizations are receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in mental-health related grants.

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction announced $54.8 million dollars in Community Catalyst Grants yesterday.

Locally, $700,000 is going to IU Health South Central Indiana to increase access to mental health and substance use treatment and recovery services. Those funds will go toward efforts in Brown, Lawrence, Monroe and Orange counties.

Centerstone Brown County is receiving $500,000 to enhance the quality of substance-use disorder prevention and enhance integration and accessibility of mental health and substance use treatment.

In Bartholomew County, there will be a five-bed recovery residence for women and up to two of their children. That is part of a $250,000 grant to Volunteers of
America Ohio & Indiana for Bartholomew and Hendricks counties. The plan includes includes staffing, materials and operating costs. Plainfield will be starting an 11-bed recovery residence out of the same grant.

Funding includes $22.3 million of local and grantee matching dollars as well as $32.5 million in federal funds.

Cummins will have a new boss on August 1st.

The company is announcing that Columbus-native Jennifer Rumsey will be taking over from Tom Linebarger as the company’s chief executive officer. Rumsey is currently the president and chief operating officer.

She will be the Columbus-based engine manufacturer’s seventh CEO and first woman to lead the company.

Rumsey holds a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Before coming to Cummins, Rumsey worked for a fuel cell technology company.

She started at Cummins working in research and technology, focused on technology to remove pollutants from diesel engines. She has previously served as president of components and chief technical officer, where she led strategic investments in key technologies to transition to lower carbon emissions products. As chief operating officer she has overseen Cummins’ global operations since March 2021. In February, she was elected to the Cummins Board of Directors.

Rumsey lives in Columbus with her husband and two daughters who are pursuing degrees in engineering.

Linebarger will continue to serve as chairman of the Board of Directors and in an executive chairman role working directly with Rumsey on initiatives including completing the pending acquisition of Meritor.

You can read the entire Cummins announcement here.

Organizers say that you can now sign up for the next Bartholomew County Works job readiness training workshop coming up in August.

Bartholomew County Works is committed to helping members improve their lives, gain full-time employment and achieve economic self-sufficiency. It provides resources in areas including transportation, finances and budget setting.

There will be an orientation from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on August 4th

The workshop itself will be the week of August 8th, in the Sarla Kalsi Conference Room, at YES Cinema. Workshop topics will include: applications, resumes, interviews, personality and skills inventories, interview attire and body language and other subjects.

To get more information on signing up, call Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center at 812-379-1630.

The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department is sharing a warning about the dangers of fake prescription pills.

According to Sheriff Matt Myers, the Drug Enforcement Administration has issued a public safety alert warning about an increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine.

The agency has launched a One Pill Can Kill Public Awareness Campaign to warn about the dangers. Officials say there has been a rise in the number of counterfeit pills containing at least 2 milligrams of fentanyl, which is considered a deadly dose. The DEA says two out of every five counterfeit pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose.

The DEA urges you to only take medications prescribed by your medical professional and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist.

The Trafalgar police officer injured last month in a crash during a pursuit is updating the community on his condition.

30-year-old Officer Dustin Moody, of Greenwood, was injured when his vehicle crashed into an embankment while pursuing a pickup truck in southern Johnson County on Saturday June 25th. The driver of the pickup also crashed into the barrier and died. Moody was flown from the scene by Lifeline helicopter to Eskanazi Hospital in Indianapolis with serious injuries.

In a police department social media post yesterday, Moody said that he suffered 11 broken ribs, a spinal cord injury, a collapsed lung, a broken femur and pelvis. He said he has had two surgeries to repair the spinal cord, pelvis and femur. Moody said trauma surgeons have given him a positive outlook on his recovery, however it will be a long and tedious process.

Moody said he and his family appreciate the outpouring of support including prayers, kind gestures, letters and financial donations. He said the Trafalgar police department and community have come together like no place he has been to support him and his family.

A fund has been set up to aid Moody and his family. You can donate at the Trafalgar or Franklin branches of Mutual Savings Bank to the “Officer Moody Donational Account.”

Seymour police will be joining in a speeding reduction effort later this month to make the roads safer and that could help you save on gas.

Agencies from six states will be holding a Speed Awareness Day enforcement campaign on July 27th. The effort is meant to address the increase in speeding and moving violations that came during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speeding is involved in about a third of all motor vehicle fatalities. Last year saw an increase in traffic deaths of 10.5 percent. The 42,915 traffic deaths was the highest annual total since 2005.

Police say that high speeds mean longer stopping distances, loss of vehicle control, more severe crashes and even increased fuel costs.

The campaign will combine zero-tolerance speeding enforcement along with communicating the importance of obeying the speed limit to drivers.

If you need help feeding your pets, the Friends of Columbus Animal Care Services will be distributing pet food this afternoon.

The group will be holding a pet food pantry distribution from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the parking lot behind The Sanctuary Church at 3939 Central Avenue. Pet food will be available from a van until supplies run out. Mixed brands of cat food will be distributed in 4.5 pound bags and dog food in 14.5 pound bags.

You should stay in your vehicle and line up. The food will be brought to you in your vehicle.

Organizers say the purpose of the pet food pantry is to assist residents to keep their pets in their homes and out of area shelters.

Friends of Columbus Animal Care Services is the non-profit partner of Columbus Animal Care Services, the city-run animal shelter.

An Ohio amusement park says that a Seymour woman is the 20 millionth person to ride its Diamondback Coaster.

Kings Island announced last night that 23-year-old Grace Timmons from Seymour rode the coaster at 7:01 Wednesday night, making her the 20 millionth rider. Timmons received Diamondback-themed gifts to commemorate the event. The roller coaster opened in 2009 and features a 230 foot high first drop and more than 5,200 feet of track. Riders hit speeds of up to 80 mph.

The park near Cincinnati is celebrating its 50th anniversary. You can get more information here.

Photo courtesy of Kings Island.

The Better Business Bureau of Central Indiana is warning about a scam where fake checks show up in your mailbox, allowing scammers to steal hundreds or thousands of dollars from you.

The consumer group is warning of the checks, some of which may appear to come from the Better Business Bureau itself or legitimate businesses. The fake check scams could be part of a fake employment scheme, a fake purchase attempt or even a lottery or sweepstakes swindle.

The scammer wants you to deposit the real-looking check, and then send them back part of the proceeds. But while the money appears temporarily to be in your account, it will soon bounce, leaving you stuck without the money you sent to the scammer.

The fakes could appear to be regular checks, cashier’s checks or money orders. You need to know that just because the bank initially credits money to your bank account, the money from a fake check will eventually be taken away.

You can find a link to more information here.

The Columbus Fire Department is recognizing three of its firefighters for their work to save the life of a person suffering from a cardiac arrest.

According to the department, the incident happened on June 14th and the three firefighters were able to provide assistance which led to the patient’s pulse returning, and subsequent recovery from the attack.

The department’s administrative chiefs presented the Life Saving Award this week to Lt. Russ Hardin and firefighters Jeremy Jones and Bryan Bailey. The three work the C-shift at Fire Station 4.

Photo courtesy of Columbus Fire Department. Front row, left to right, Lt. Russ Hardin, Firefighters Jeremy Jones and Bryan Bailey. Back row, Deputy chiefs Mike Kutsko and Mark Ziegler, Columbus Fire Chief Andy Lay.